First Prototypes of U.S. Marine Corps CH-53K To Fly Soon

Sikorsky delivered the ground test vehicle (GTV) of the new CH-53K to the Naval Air Systems Command flight-test team late last year. The prototype is being used for powered ground checks of the helicopter’s dynamic systems.

The first four flying versions of the U.S. Marine Corps’ next generation CH-53K helicopter were advancing through assembly at Sikorsky Aircraft’s West Palm Beach, Florida, facility earlier this year. “We’re well beyond the paper side of the aircraft. We’re building this thing,” Marine Col. Robert Pridgen, H-53 program manager, told reporters at the Navy League conference in April.